Finalists

Name: Erin Cassell Entry: Safe and Beautiful Bus Stops

Why I entered the Changemaker Challenge:

“My big idea is for us to come together as a community to create safe bus stops along Route 1 in Elkridge, Maryland. I counted 25 bus stops from the Elkridge Shopping Center to the Laurel Thrift Center, only three of those twenty-five bus stops have shelters. Accessibility and safety should concern anyone who watches this video and sees the current conditions of our bus stops. Not all of them are this dangerous. However, many are. I envision a cross between Adopt a Highway, Habitat for Humanity, Collaborative Upcycled Community Art, and Little Free Library.”

Name(s):

Candace Dodson-Reed
Elgin Klugh
Sabina Taj

Entry: Power of Stories

Why we entered the Changemaker Challenge:

“There’s a rich African American history in Howard County that needs to be told and we want to share it through powerful personal stories and images.”

“The Howard County Autism Housing Initiative will address the pressing need for affordable, supportive housing for adults with autism and other disabilities with an innovative solution: inclusive, intergenerational housing that will bring together adults with disabilities, families and older adults in a mixed income, mutually supportive community. The operational program will augment the services of direct support professionals with neighbor-generated social capital. It will adapt an award-winning intergenerational model with demonstrated effectiveness in increasing housing stability, creating new community capacity and reducing social isolation for diverse populations.”

“My team wants to start a summer intensive program focusing on discovering high school students’ passions through hands on experience and connecting students to mentors who will help students design their lives around their discovered passion. Most teens don’t know their passions or what to do with their lives. This produces a lack of vision, which leads teens to live for current pleasures than a successful future (hence, opioid addiction, drunk driving, teen pregnancy, etc.). Our summer curriculum will have students “try out” potential industries, career paths, skills, etc. in order to discover a passion and get them connected to successful professionals in the community who will lay out practical pathways for students success.”

“To create SOBAR – a series of “pop up” alcohol free gatherings and booths at a wide variety of events in Howard County. We live in a “bar-centric” world – most events for those over 21 years of age feature alcohol. When non-drinkers attend, they stare alcohol in the face when they want a beverage. SOBAR is a combination of the words “sober” and “bar”. SOBAR will produce alcohol free events and provide healthy, creative non-alcoholic beverages at public social events. Beverage booths at concerts or galas and monthly gatherings; dance parties, sports nights at local gyms, beach volleyball … the possibilities are endless!”

“Achieving sustainable development in Howard County requires us to find durable solutions to complex challenges. To do so, we must get beyond polarized debates and empower people to converge around long-term solutions. In an initiative called “Sustainable Convergence: Scenario Planning to Solve Complex Problems,” I will bring to Howard County an innovative process involving a cross-section of thoughtful participants representing diverse stakeholders. We will develop scenarios for Howard County’s conditions in 2030, taking into account key driving forces and critical uncertainties. Through an over-the-horizon planning exercise using these scenarios, we will develop a robust package of recommendations to advance climate-smart development in Howard County.”

Name: Lori Lilly Entry: Sowing Seeds of Change, Howard EcoWorks, Inc.

Why I entered the Changemaker Challenge:

“Howard EcoWorks has experience with workforce development programming for environmental outcomes. Our Big Idea is to expand and formalize a nascent program that we are developing at the Howard County Department of Corrections where we would like to provide industry-specific education, training and internship opportunities in sustainable landscaping that can lead to employment after release. Vocational education and training has been shown to reduce recidivism by up to 24%. In addition, horticultural therapy is an ancient practice that uses plants and gardens as tools for human healing and rehabilitation. Our on-site plant nursery and existing curriculum and training program will serve as a springboard for our project. Simultaneously, we will be growing native plant material to be used in projects County-wide that will clean water, improve local streams and rivers, and engage the Ellicott City community in flood remediation efforts. At Howard EcoWorks, we believe that social and ecological networks are strongly intertwined and therefore balance achievement of environmental outcomes with social strategies to strengthen our overall efforts and build sustainable communities. In this manner, we will enhance public safety, local economy, workforce development opportunities and our natural environment in Howard County.”

A college readiness program that creates “communities” of students working to become the first in their family to graduate from college. The program will use a cohort model, working with students beginning in the 7th grade, and following them to and through college. Students from low-income families who aren’t first generation college students would also be eligible to join, as they often face similar barriers to college matriculation and graduation. During middle school, students will focus on connecting their interest to careers, high school course selection, tutoring and enrichment, community service, and college visits. As students move into high school, they will begin to explore the financial aid process, college essays, SAT/ACT prep, scholarships, and developing the socio-cultural capital needed to successfully transition to college. The program will include outreach to parents and both a school-year and intensive summer component.”